UN Special Envoy’s Mission in Afghanistan Concludes
The mission of Roza Otunbayeva, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, has come to an end. On Friday, September 6, she held a farewell meeting with Abdul Kabir, a senior Taliban official and head of the Ministry of Refugees. According to a statement from the Taliban’s Ministry of Refugees, the meeting was held to mark the conclusion of Otunbayeva’s tenure.
In the meeting, Otunbayeva emphasized the continuation of humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan, noting that the UN has deployed 25 working groups to earthquake-affected areas. She said these groups are assessing the situation of the people and will subsequently begin the process of aid distribution.
During the meeting, Abdul Kabir expressed appreciation for the UN envoy’s efforts throughout her mission, stating that the United Nations had carried out “important work” in Afghanistan. He also claimed that a committee has been established to address the needs of natural disaster victims and called for full cooperation from international organizations with the Taliban administration in this regard.
He further added that the Taliban’s Ministry of Refugees has drafted a “strategy to reduce the motivation for migration,” which is expected to be finalized following technical reviews. This comes despite the fact that Taliban policies, including extensive restrictions on women’s rights and the lack of work and educational opportunities, are regarded as major drivers of migration.
The United Nations Security Council recently announced that Otunbayeva’s mission would officially conclude in September 2025. Nevertheless, the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan and the Taliban administration’s widespread human rights violations continue to pose major challenges to the work of UNAMA.
